On A Quest
by mmouse15
Summary: Mirage is sent out with Hound on an unusual mission.  G1.  Written for the December collaboration challenge.
1. The Quest

On A Quest, Ch. 1 – The Quest

A/N: This piece was written for the December collaboration challenge hosted by three comms on LJ. I collaborated with my good friend, naggingfishwife. She did art for the story I wrote. FFN doesn't allow links within stories, so to see her amazing art, you'll have to go to my profile and click on my homepage, then use the tag 'collaboration' to find this story with live art links. Even without the art, I hope you enjoy the story.

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><p>Mirage stood in front of Jazz's desk, controlling his urge to boggle at his commanding officer.<p>

"You want me to do _what_?" Mirage asked again.

Jazz looked up briefly, then returned his gaze to the datapad in his hand. "I want you to get a tree for the Ark."

Mirage stood there, waiting for clarification, but Jazz steadfastly kept his gaze on the datapad. Finally, Mirage shifted minutely.

"Yes, Mirage?" Jazz asked. "Is there something about the assignment you don't understand?"

Mirage knew that tone. Jazz was in trouble with either Prowl or Prime for not doing his paperwork, and he was concentrating on doing it until his desk was cleared. The threat used against him must have been a really good one, and Mirage wondered what it was to have Jazz so focused and intent on working.

"No, sir." Mirage answered. He threw Jazz a salute, receiving a small wave in return, then left.

As he walked toward the entrance of the Ark, he got a short-distance comm from Jazz.

_::You'll be with Hound for this trip. You'll need his ability to haul the tree back here.::_

So, he was paired up with Hound. He stopped and pulled a cloth out of his subspace, running it quickly over his plating, polishing away smudges to his finish. He didn't dawdle, merely did a quick job, but felt better for it. He tucked the cloth away and continued to the entrance.

Hound was waiting for him, shifting from pede to pede nervously. Pasting a smile on his face, Mirage moved up to the scout and greeted him.

"Hello, Hound, are you ready to go out on this quest for a tree?"

Hound audibly cleared his vents and nodded. Mirage folded himself into his alt-form, waiting for Hound to do the same before heading out.

The landscape was the same as always, with the difference that the air was significantly cooler than it had been just a month previously. Curious, Mirage opened a comm line to Hound.

_::Do you know why the air is so much cooler?::_

Hound's nervousness came through on the comm. _::Yes, it's because this planet has seasons as it orbits the system's star. The planet's magnetic poles are tilted from the vertical, so sometimes the surface is closer to the sun and sometimes it's further away, all changing as it rotates around the sun. The difference between being closer, or hotter, and being further away, or cooler, is what the natives call seasons. It's colder because the portion of the planet we're on is further away, so the air cools down and the weather changes. Ah, as we get further into the mountains, we'll see snow.::_

_::Snow.::_ Mirage said flatly.

_::Frozen dihydrogen monoxide.::_ Hound replied.

Mirage sighed. _::Do you know why we're to get this tree? Jazz wouldn't explain it.::_

_::He's in trouble with both Prime and Prowl, that's why he's so focused on the paperwork. Yeah, I do. Spike was telling us about a tradition here on Earth, where there's a festival around the time when the planet's orbit gives us the shortest number of daylight hours in this hemisphere. They call it Christmas, and one of the traditions they have is to have a tree inside their dwelling place and decorate it. Prime wants us to adapt this custom; he says it will be good publicity.::_

Mirage pondered this for a while, then reopened the comm line. _::Why do you and I get to go on this mission?::_

_::Uh, Bee's unavailable – he's with Spike and Prowl thinks that's important. Trailbreaker is off helping the human military with something, Jazz is in trouble, Ironhide's out of commission until his leg is reattached, and Brawn is in the brig for brawling. Inferno's off on a publicity tour on the other side of the country, and Hoist and Grapple are working on a project for Optimus and can't be pulled away.::_

Mirage absorbed this. It did rather look like he and Hound were the only ones not on shift that could do this task. He just…Hound intrigued him. So many of the mechs in the Autobot forces pined for Cybertron, and so few were truly enjoying this planet. Mirage missed Cybertron, he never tried to fool himself that he didn't, but the Cybertron he missed was long gone, wracked by war and deprivation. Earth was _alive_, growing and blossoming and simply bursting with forms that took the natural energy of the planet or its sun and turned it into more life, in a way Cybertron had not been for a very long time, even longer now. He still couldn't wrap his processor around the length of time they'd been in stasis. But Hound enjoyed this planet in a way that Mirage admired. Hound liked researching the life forms they encountered and was a font of knowledge about the local flora and fauna. Jazz may have higher social skills that helped with the diplomacy, but Hound's knowledge was more practical and had helped the Autobots navigate the planet itself; the weather, the life forms, the various plants, the geology and the water. Mirage knew he could ask Hound about anything on this planet and have his questions answered in a way that made sense to him. Hound would have been a fabulous teacher back on Cybertron; he had the knack of presenting information in a way that made sense, and he could change how he presented it to suit his audience.

Mirage and Hound made it from the dirt track that led to the Ark to the paved road that led toward the human town. Hound, however, turned the other direction, toward the mountain range that dominated the horizon. Mirage followed after him, letting Hound set the pace since his alt-mode was so much slower than Mirage's.

As they got closer to the mountains, the frozen dihydrogen monoxide, or snow, began to show up, in little drifts of white on the northern exposures of hills and banks, or where it was shaded by the vegetation. The further they traveled, the bigger the drifts became, until the white was blanketing the landscape.

Mirage found his alt-form to be problematic in this landscape, whereas Hound's alt-mode, although not sleek, was sturdy and navigated the road easily. Mirage persevered, though, and they finally made it to a pull-out, a wide spot in the road. Hound transformed once he was off the road and waited for Mirage to do the same.

Mirage followed Hound's lead, surveying the woods before them before turning to Hound.

"I spotted a tree that I think will be perfect. Follow me." Hound stepped off the embankment and plunged into the snow. Mirage followed in his footsteps after a long moment.

Hound slogged through the snow, smiling as he moved through the landscape. He moved slowly enough for Mirage to keep up with him, but it was obvious that he could move faster than he was. Mirage made a quick file and tagged it to remind him that Hound's abilities were not reflected in his choice of alt-modes, and that he had abilities that made him an elite tracker and scout, and to stop judging mechs on surficial qualities.

Hound stopped in a clearing next to a tree that was no taller than he was.

Mirage looked at the tree critically. "Isn't it a bit…small?"

Hound laughed, and it was so carefree Mirage did a double-take.

"It is, a bit, but there's a reason. The root systems of these trees is pretty wide-spread, and if we get a smaller one, we can dig it out and put it in a big pot, then replant it in the spring. If we get a bigger tree, we can't do that and we'll have to cut it off just above the roots."

"Which would…kill it?" Mirage asked.

"Yes! So, Jazz said it was OK, and Perceptor and Wheeljack figured out how to create a giant pot that collapsed into my subspace but is still sturdy enough to hold this tree and the dirt." Hound was enthusiastic in explaining his plan to Mirage.

"Um, Hound? Are you strong enough to carry the tree and the dirt back to the Ark?" Mirage wanted to know.

Hound's face fell. Mirage felt badly for him. "How do the humans transport such trees, Hound?"

Hound's optics flickered as he accessed his comm link. Mirage waited patiently for the answer.

"Oh, good idea!" Hound exclaimed. "They wrap the root ball in burlap and truck it out. Of course, if the root ball is too small for the tree, it will die in just a few planetary orbits, but we won't have that problem. We can use the container to wrap the roots up, and Perceptor says that if I take a sample of the dirt, they can replicate it in the lab pretty quickly. This might actually work!"

With that problem taken care of, Hound set to work with Mirage's help. They found the extent of the root system, then cut through the dirt in a hemispherical shape. Mirage used his delicate actuators to clean a lot of the dirt out from the roots and tuck the roots against the main ball, where they left the dirt to protect the heart of the root system. They wrapped the tree in the collapsible container, then hefted it up and carried it between them to the road.

Once they were up on the road, they finally noticed the weather had changed. The clouds were low, almost touching the ground, and the air was heavy with moisture. Mirage shivered as the wind blew through his frame and turned on his internal heaters.

They didn't help. The air was cold, the wind made it worse, and visibility was low. Mirage cycled through the electo-magnetic spectrum, unsurprised to find the weather limited the ability to distinguish shapes very well. The swirling snow that was falling was also obscuring sensors, and Mirage looked at Hound.

"We can't stay out here!" Hound yelled as the wind gusted around them. "We need to find shelter and get out of this wind!"

"What do you suggest?" Mirage asked, struggling to hold onto the tree as the wind swirled around him.

Hound looked around. "Let's go back down where we were – it was more sheltered from the wind!"

Mirage nodded and gamely struggled with the tree as he and Hound wrestled their way back over the embankment and down into the woods.

The wind did stop buffeting them, but the snow fell thicker. Hound growled as Mirage slipped again and dropped the tree.

Mirage was affronted. He was trying his best to help Hound. He found he'd been mistaken when Hound wrapped a small locator beacon around the tree and tugged Mirage with him.

"You can't carry that heavy tree and keep yourself up, and it was silly of me to not think of you. I'm sorry I was so inconsiderate, Mirage. Let's focus on getting ourselves some shelter!" Hound told him.

Mirage nodded. His systems were giving him warnings about joints and lines reaching limits in their endurance.


	2. In Trouble

Ch. 2 – In Trouble

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><p>Mirage watched Hound work. He had no idea what the scout was doing, but he couldn't help. His joints were locked up from the cold. Snow swirled all around them, and Mirage was so stiff he couldn't brush it away from his body. His frame was more open, lacking the protective plates Hound had, and so he was more vulnerable to the cold and wind. He envied Hound his sturdy build right now as he huddled against a tree, trying to keep warm or at least, keep out of the wind as much as possible.<p>

Hound was making some type of house out of snow. He start rolling a ball of snow, rolling it around until it was the size he wanted, then push it next to one of the other balls he'd made. He was putting them in a circular pattern then packing snow into the cracks between the balls and smoothing it with his hands.

Hound continued to do this, piling smaller balls on top of the larger balls and leaning the walls in, continuing to pack more snow in the cracks and smoothing it down.

When he was finally done, he'd made a semi-circular structure out of the snow. Mirage gazed at it blearily, his optic shutters not functioning properly in the cold.

Hound came over to Mirage and coaxed him away from the tree he was leaning against, gently pulling him toward the snow house and into the interior.

The change, once inside, was dramatic. The wind no longer pummeled them, and Mirage's internal heaters were able to make some progress. Hound sent extra energy to his hands, creating warmth, and began to rub them gently over areas showing cold on his scan of Mirage – his hands, his pedes, his hip joints. Mirage moaned as the energon began to move sluggishly through the tubing and circulate warmer energon to his cold joints.

Hound continued to rub Mirage's joints, encouraging the flow of energon, until Mirage began to squirm away. Hound released his hands and let him scoot away for awhile. Mirage soon came back to Hound's warm, whimpering slightly as he sought to get warm by absorbing heat from Hound's frame. Hound wrapped his arms around Mirage, pressing more of his body against Mirage and offering as much heat as he could.

Hound finally picked Mirage up and put him in his lap, getting him off the snow that covered the ground and allowing the warmth of his leg plating to heat the back of Mirage's legs. Mirage curled closer, plastering his front to Hound's frame and tucking his legs under one of Hound's arms. Hound put his arms around Mirage and sent heat to his arms to warm Mirage's back, rubbing over the cockpit and cowling, encouraging energon flow and thus warmth to those areas.

Mirage moaned, and Hound stiffened. He'd been attracted to Mirage for a long time, admiring the beauty of Mirage's frame and as he got to know the mech better, admiring the processor and spark inside the frame even more. Mirage was wickedly funny, caring and smart, but he never showed that side of himself to the majority of the army. Instead, he show that facet of his personality only to the Special Operations group and the mechs that associated with that group, meaning Jazz, Bumblebee, Trailbreaker and Hound. There had been more on Cybertron, but the group that had made it to Earth was small and select. Hound had always felt that he was privileged to see a side of Mirage that he kept private to such a small group.

Hound pushed thoughts of Mirage as anything other than a fellow mech in trouble out of his processor and pulled Mirage closer, letting Mirage snuggle into his chassis. Hound shifted Mirage around slightly, making himself comfortable against the wall of the snow fort he'd made and keeping as much of Mirage's plating against his own as he could.

From Mirage's perspective, he was surrounded by warmth, with his front being warmer than his back, which was fine. His back was better insulated than his front right now, and the warmth against him felt wonderful. His legs were cold, though, and he shifted them, pulling them closer to the warmth along the top. A bar of warmth suddenly went along the backs of his legs, and he sighed. Another bar of warmth was along his back, rubbing the cowling of his cockpit and bringing more warmth with it. His face was tucked into something comfortable and he sighed again before allowing the insistent pings for recharge to be granted. As he drifted down into the darkness, he felt protected and safe.

With his arms full of snuggling mech, Hound felt protective, even though he knew it was survival routines causing Mirage to snuggle into him and drop into recharge. He could imagine how it would be to hold Mirage like this every rotation's end, and he allowed himself to drift into a light recharge.

It was going to be a long rotation, and Hound was going to cherish this chance to be close to someone he was sure would never notice him as someone other than a fellow soldier.


	3. Getting Warm

Ch. 3 – Getting Warm

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><p>Mirage stirred. He was exhausted and warm, both conditions that made him want to stay in the warm twilight of being half in recharge and half alert. His processor muzzily reminded him that he was living in a time of war and trying to ignore the world outside his own body could be detrimental to his long-term well-being. Given that, Mirage allowed his boot sequence to continue.<p>

It was…green. All he could see in front of him was green. It was a nice green, although there were a few chips here and there…

Mirage sat up with a gasp, startling Hound out of his own uneasy recharge. Mirage sprang up, startling Hound, who also leapt to his feet. He immediately had to crouch down again, as his green helm impacted the roof of the structure they were in.

They both froze, looking at each other.

"I beg your pardon, Hound, I have no idea why I was so, uh, close to you." Mirage said finally.

Hound finished rubbing the snow off his helm and said, "It was…you were very cold, Mirage. I'm sorry, I couldn't think of another way to get you warm. I'm sorry."

Mirage waved off his apology. "I didn't remember. My processor doesn't seem to have written that to my memory core."

Hound nodded, "Yeah, you got really cold, it's no surprise that those memories got dumped as things shut down. I'm sorry I didn't pick up on your condition earlier. That was thoughtless of me."

Mirage nodded briefly. "It's alright, Hound. I should have told you that I'd lost some of my insulation and plating in my last mission against the Decepticons."

Hound said, "Ah. That makes a lot more sense. I hadn't know, Mirage, and I'm sorry I got you into this predicament."

Mirage looked around the small room they were in. It was made of snow, tall enough for him to stand up straight in the center of the room, but otherwise small and mostly dark. There was an opening in one portion of the wall, just wide enough for Hound to wriggle into the room and no larger. There was snow swirling just outside the opening as the blizzard that had driven them into this snow house continued.

"Please, stop apologizing, Hound. Where are we?" Mirage asked, curious.

"We're in the forest where we went to get the tree. A blizzard came up unexpectedly, and I wasn't paying attention to the weather so it caught us by surprise. I brought us back to the clearing where we got the tree and I made an igloo, a house made of snow. The snow is perfect for this, by the way, full of moisture and it rolls up and sticks together really well. We're lucky – if it had been powdery snow, I wouldn't have been able to build this and get us out of the wind."

Mirage nodded at Hound's explanation. "So…what do we do now?"

Hound told him. "Well, we can't go back because the weather is impossible to drive in, and I wouldn't ask anyone else to come and get us, because we don't need rescuing. So we wait out the storm and drive back when the weather has cleared and the roads are passable. Meanwhile, we sit tight. We're sheltered from the wind in here, and I even have a couple cubes of energon in my subspace."

Suiting actions to words, Hound settled himself onto the snowy ground again, leaning back against the cold wall and allowing his optical shutters to drift down to half-closed.

Mirage looked around, but there was no other place to sit, no stumps or rocks or anything. It was the snow or Hound's lap, and Mirage was embarrassed that he'd been wrapped around Hound like…like those long twining plants wrapped around structures, no matter that he'd been warm and felt so wonderful.

Mirage eased himself down next to Hound and winced at the cold that seeped through his plating. He stayed still for a time, but then shifted, trying to find another position that didn't feel so cold. He shifted again, and squeaked when Hound moved, picking him up and plopping him back on his lap.

"I've got much thicker plates than you do, so sit there and don't move around so much. It uses up energy, and I don't know how long we'll be out here and I want to conserve what little energon we have." Hound said, closing his shutters again and making himself comfortable.

Mirage was very nervous, perched on Hound's legs like one of Earth's avian creatures on a fence post, but found himself relaxing despite his processor as Hound's warmth transferred to his body and warmed the places that had cooled down. As he warmed up, he found himself leaning against Hound, who responded by wrapping his arms around Mirage and pulling him close. Mirage stiffened, fearing Primus only knew what, but Hound simply shifted slightly and Mirage found his seat much more comfortable. Then Hound stayed still. Mirage gradually relaxed as the warmth settled over him.

Mirage allowed himself to drift into a very light recharge.

Hound unshuttered his optics and looked at the mech in his arms. Now that they were both as warm as they could be, it was a glimpse of the Well to have such a wonderful mech in his arms. He bent down slightly and pressed a light kiss to Mirage's helm, his spark aching. He settled back and initiated his recharge cycle.

In his arms, Mirage was perfectly still, his pump working harder than it should. Hound felt the change and began to apologise.

"Primus, Mirage, I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me."

Mirage nodded jerkily. "Of course, Hound, it was nothing."

Hound went very still. "I wouldn't say it was nothing, Mirage."

Mirage said quietly. "You wouldn't?"

"You're a wonderful mech, Mirage. Any chance to be around you is a gift. I've admired you for a long time, but, um, you're uh…" Hound trailed off, embarrassed.

Throwing constraints to the wind (still howling outside their snowy shelter), Mirage propped his chin on his hands and looked up at Hound. "I'm what? Beautiful? Graceful? Intelligent? Witty? Devious?"

"All of the above," Hound answered helplessly "and more. You're amazing, Mirage."

His tone slowed Mirage, who had been thinking of teasing Hound, but the scout's voice was serious.

"You really like me." Mirage said in wonder.

Hound laughed brokenly. "Yeah, I do. Can you wait to laugh at me until I'm not around? I'd appreciate your restraint."

"Why would I laugh at you, Hound?" Mirage genuinely wanted to know.

"For being a fool to even dream someone as fine as yourself would deign to look at a lowly mech like me." Hound replied, his voice trailing off.

Mirage felt something wrench inside him. Hound was as lonely as he was, and his self-esteem was even lower than Mirage's.

"I see someone who is a loyal friend, an enthusiastic naturalist, a superb scout and a fine soldier." Mirage said. "What's not to like?"

Hound was a miserable mech, and it showed in his voice. "Don't tease me, please."

Mirage gather his courage in both hands and reached for Hound's face, turning it back toward his own. "Hound…I would never be so cruel. I like you, too."

Hound stayed still for a long moment, long enough to send a quiver of doubt running through Mirage's body, before wrapping himself even tighter around Mirage and hugging him. "Mirage…"

Mirage returned the embrace, holding Hound close. "Hound."

"Um, where do we go from here?" Hound asked, a glimmer of joy in his voice.

Mirage laughed, a light and free sound. "I think we're stuck here for a while. Once we get out, let's go on a date and see what we'd like to do. In the meantime, I need some defrag and rest, and I'm sure you're in the same state."

Hound nodded, "Yes, I am. Feel free to continue using me as a pillow and get some recharge."

Mirage snuggled into Hound's arms and allowed himself to slip into recharge, feeling warm and safe and protected.


	4. Waking Up Warm

Ch. 4 - Waking up Warm

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><p>Mirage awoke warm and comfortable. He unshuttered his optics and let the details of his surroundings slowly seep into his processor.<p>

He was lying on top of Hound, who was stretched out on tops of a large silvery sheet. Another silvery sheet was draped over Mirage, and he was still astonished that such thin metallic sheets reflected warmth so very well. He nestled into Hound's chest and remembered how they got into this position.

_Mirage had come out of recharge. His front was warm, but most of his back was cold. What had jolted him out of his rest was Hound._

_Hound had locked all his joints, but tremors still ran through his frame. He was cold, very cold, according to Mirage's scans._

_Worried, Mirage touched his fingertips to Hound's face._

_"Hound?" He said softly._

_He was startled when Hound's optics snapped on with full awareness, but he quickly figured it out. Hound uwas/u cold but didn't want to bother Mirage. Mirage refused to accept his stoicism._

_"Hound, we need to get you warm. Do you have any ideas? What about that energon you have?" Mirage untangled himself from Hound's arms and knelt next to him._

_Hound unlocked his joints and reached into his subspace, withdrawing first one cube, which Mirage took and set aside, then the other, which Mirage also took and began preparing to help Hound drink._

_Hound, however, reaching again into his subspace. Baffled, Mirage took what Hound handed him. It was two small packets, plastic wrapped around a small bundle of silver._

_Mirage set them down and helped Hound down a cube before consuming his own, flattening the empty cubes and storing them in his own subspace._

_Hound shakily reached for the two packets. He was scanning a little warmer for Mirage, but he was still cold, so Mirage retrieved the packets._

_"Open one and unfold it, carefully, and spread it out on the snow." Hound instructed._

_Mirage did as he was told, spreading the large rectangle of metallic material out on the snowy ground and smoothing it out. He helped Hound move over and lay down on it. He then unfolded the second sheet and spread it over Hound._

_"Now, please, crawl under here with me and add your warmth. No funny stuff, I promise." Hound was struggling to get the words out._

_Mirage carefully did as asked and was startled at the incredible warmth reflected back by the two blankets. He shifted his engine to higher revolutions, pushing the air warmed in such a manner out into the surrounding space._

_Hound groaned as the warm air washed over him. Gradually, Hound's frame relaxed as he warmed up and Mirage let his engine die back to normal levels, snuggling up to Hound's frame to conserve the heat generated._

Mirage wasn't sure how he'd gotten on top of Hound, but he wasn't complaining. He turned his head and looked out the opening of their snow hut. The last few stars twinkled even as the light from the soon-to-be-rising sun began to wash out their light. Mirage marveled at the sky, so clear after such a terrific storm.

Beneath him, Hound shifted slightly, coming out of recharge himself.

"Mmmm," Hound muttered, his arms wrapping around Mirage and hugging him close.

Mirage couldn't resist. He slid up Hound's body until they were face to face, then rubbed his olfactory sensor array against Hound's.

Hound's optics booted, then refreshed as Hound shuttered and unshuttered them.

"Good morning." Mirage murmured, smiling.

"Yes, it is. Good morning, Mirage." Hound smiled back.

"I believe the storm has passed," Mirage continued, "shall was start making our way back?"

"I suppose so," Hound said, "although I hope you'll forgive me for saying that I'm really enjoying waking up right now."

Mirage chuckled. "I am, too."

"Then let's take our time. It will give the humans time to plow the roads and make it easier for us to get out of here." Hound argued.

Mirage snuggled back down and said, "That sounds fine to me."

They enjoyed each other's company, lying there as the half-light became true dawn, drifting into a light state of recharge that enabled them to be aware of their surroundings. The sound of a large diesel engine above them on the roadway finally roused them.

Hound retrieved his space blankets and refolded them, tucking them back into his subspace before crawling out of the hut.

The sun was just above the horizon, the world gleaming under its blanket of white.

Once out of the hut, Hound became all business. He found the tree and dug it out, then he and Mirage lugged it up to the roadway, Hound leading the way and acting as a snowplow for Mirage and the tree. The snowplow had cleared the road, and after breaking through the wall of snow that bounded the roadway, Hound transformed and Mirage hefted the tree into Hound's passenger compartment, tying it down, then transformed himself and followed Hound slowly down the mountain.

Once out on the flat land, Hound increased his speed slightly, with Mirage easily matching his pace.

_::Hey, you two!::_ Blaster's cheery voice.

_::Hey, Blaster! How's things at the Ark?::_ Hound replied.

_::It's all good, mech! The snow storm was unexpected, but we only got a few inches. It was good that you sent a message to Jazz so we didn't try to rescue you two. Inferno got himself in trouble responding to an emergency call and we didn't have nearly the amount of snow the mountains got.::_

_::You'll have to tell me all about it when we get back.::_ Hound sent.

_::Will do. Drive safe!::_ With that parting wish, Blaster signed off.

Hound and Mirage continued their slow pace back toward the Ark, idly chatting about the things they saw. There was very little traffic at this hour of the day and they had no problem reaching the turnoff to the Ark. The road to the Ark was not as easy, since the snow was quite slippery and Mirage's alt-form was not suited for such terrain in snow, but he would transform as he needed and make it over the slick or steep spots.

When they arrived at the Ark, they were met by Perceptor, Skyfire, Jazz and Blaster. Perceptor and Skyfire unloaded the tree from Hound, allowing him to transform. They took the dirt samples Hound gave them and headed into the lab, Skyfire tucking the tree under his arm.

"I'll join you guys in a little bit; I need to make my report!" Hound called after them. Skyfire acknowledged with a wave that he'd heard Hound.

Mirage and Jazz were already talking and making their way into the Ark, so Hound followed with Blaster on his heels.

"How did it go, Hound?" Blaster asked.

Hound was cautious in his reply. "It went well, despite the storm. We figured out how to protect ourselves from the wind and just waited the storm out. Made it back here in one piece, it's all good."

Blaster looked at him quickly and said, "It's just…you and Mirage don't always get along, so I thought there might be some problems."

Hound replied mildly, "No, no problems at all. Mirage is ever the gentlemech."

Blaster laughed and clapped Hound on the back before peeling off to head back to the comms center. Hound continued toward Prowl's office to give his report.

After he'd finished, he got a comm from Mirage.

_::Hound?::_

_::Yeah, Mirage?::_

_::Would you like to go get some energon with me?::_

_::Yes, Mirage, I would like that very much.::_

_::Excellent. I'm just outside Jazz's office, pick me up?::_

_::Sure thing.::_ Hound turned around and headed back the way he'd just come. Mirage was waiting, as promised, just outside Jazz's door.

Hound stopped and grinned down at Mirage. "Shall we?" He motioned with his hand in the direction of the recreation room of the Ark.

"Yes, let us." Mirage replied, and laughing, they went to get their energon.


	5. First Date

Ch. 5 – First Date

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><p>Mirage shifted. He was on a dirt road, waiting for Hound to finish his patrol and meet him here. Hound had been very enthusiastic about whatever he was planning to show Mirage, and Mirage hated to disappoint Hound. However, it was cold and although Mirage's plating had been repaired, he was still prone to feeling the cold more.<p>

"Mirage!" Hound called, coming from behind Mirage. "Sorry, I was on the high patrol route and we had an avalanche I had to work around. I hope you weren't waiting too long."

Mirage smiled at Hound, "Not long at all, Hound, but I am a bit cold."

Hound wrapped his arms around Mirage and shared his heat for a few minutes. Once Mirage was warmed up, Hound daringly took his hand and led him to the forest, stepping off the road and into the trees. They ducked through the trees for a short distance and entered a clearing with a large boulder in the center.

The boulder shimmered in the sunlight, and Mirage went over to it, entranced. "What is this?"

Hound explained. "It's a boulder of mostly obsidian, which is silica rapidly cooled with minimal crystal formation. It's really reflective and beautiful, and I thought you'd like to see it."

Mirage laughed at Hound and asked, "It was very thoughtful of you to bring me here to see this, but it wasn't the reason you were out here, was it?"

Hound laughed, "Busted. No, I was out here because there was a litter of rabbits born this year and I've been observing them. I wanted to see how they grew and what the family did throughout the year. They were born in a den right there," he pointed to a large shrub with a hole near the roots, "and stayed in this clearing for the first month of their lives. Now most of them had moved away, especially the males, but a couple of females stayed here and are wintering there and there." and he pointed to another couple of holes. "I'm trying to figure out if they've connected their dens and just use different holes, so I come here often to try and figure it out."

Mirage looked around and asked, "You couldn't ask a human?"

Hound said, "I could, but I'm having more fun figuring it out myself."

Mirage looked around carefully. The two holes were on the edge of a hill. The hill faced north and was covered with snow except around the holes. Mirage cocked his head and asked, "How did the holes get uncovered?"

Hound looked abashed. "I, uh, judiciously used some of the snow."

"For what?" Mirage wanted to know.

"Snowballs." Hound pronounced solemnly.

"Snowballs? What are snowballs?" Mirage asked.

Hound stepped forward and picked up some of the snow. "Frozen dihydrogen monoxide, formed into spherical volumes and launched at speed to strike a target. I use them for trajectory practise."

Mirage gaped at him as Hound packed his snowball and threw it into the air. He watched it arc up and drop...

"Hound!" yelled Mirage, dodging the snowball at the last moment.

Hound just grinned and started packing another snowball.

"It's on," Mirage announced, "No cheating."

"Define cheating." Hound said, a broad smile creeping across his face.

"No holograms, no electro-disrupter, just talent." Mirage stated, packing his own snowballs.

"You're on."

The snowball fight was fast, furious, and fun. Mirage couldn't recall the last time he'd laughed so hard. The look on Hound's face when Mirage let loose his first snowball and it hit Hound right over the optic on the brow of his helm was something Mirage saved to his databanks for later enjoyment.

Hound was one that stood in one spot and threw snowballs as fast as he could make them, while Mirage was more likely to use the trees as cover and throw snowballs when an opportunity presented itself. They continued the fight until the sun set and Mirage started to suffer from the cold.

"Pax!" Hound yelled.

A final snowball, already in motion when he yelled, came out of the trees. Hound dropped into a twisted stance, dodging the snowball by a whisker. It exploded against the tree behind him, showering him with fine particles of snow.

"Sorry, Hound!" Mirage called. His armour was clamped against his body tightly, trying to conserve his body heat as much as possible.

"It's OK, Mirage, but let's get back." Hound grinned at him, and Mirage couldn't help but return the smile.

They walked back to the road, Hound daringly taking Mirage's hand and holding it as they walked together. It was easier to stay in their own forms as they walked along the dirt road. Once they reached the asphalt, they transformed and Mirage felt warmer. The drive back to the Ark was swift, but it was fully dark by the time they got back, and Mirage was glad to see the dim glow that indicated the Ark's presence.

As they entered the Ark, Hound turned to go to the common room. Mirage hesitated, and Hound stopped and looked at him.

"Would you…would you like to come back to my room?" Mirage offered. "I'm enjoying our time together so much, I really don't want to share you right now."

Hound's smile was warm and welcoming. "I'd like that very much, Mirage."

Together they went down the other hallway toward the recharge chambers. Mirage stopped in front of his door and sent the glyphs necessary to open the door. It slid open, and Mirage led Hound into the small room.

Recharge chambers were generally quite small, with a berth or two and perhaps a chair. The mechs of the Ark had taken to reconfiguring the rooms now that the Ark was grounded. They knocked out walls and merged two or more berth rooms, making larger rooms that multiple mechs shared with room for entertainment centers, couches and chairs.

Mirage's roommate was Jazz, since Bumblebee shared the minibots room. However, Jazz was rarely here, so usually Mirage had the room to himself. Their shared room was still small, though, since they both were often on missions. There were two berths, head to head along the far wall. The arrangement gave them a large cleared space in the center of the room, and they'd created a round table with chairs around it. Mirage offered a chair to Hound, then went to fetch energon from beneath his bunk, offering a cube to Hound before seating himself.

Hound nodded his thanks and opened the cube. Mirage had provided a decent mid-grade, better than regular energon but not as potent as high-grade. Hound took a sip, enjoying the jolt of energy it gave him.

They talked for hours, simply enjoying each other's company, and at the end of their time, when Hound had to go on communications duty, he held Mirage's hands with his own.

"Thank you, Mirage, for spending time with me. I've really enjoyed it."

"You're welcome, Hound." Mirage answered.

Hound bent slowly, giving Mirage plenty of time to dodge if he wished, and brushed a kiss over Mirage's mouth, a mere whisper of contact. Mirage gazed up at him as Hound straightened.

"You taste good," Mirage said softly.

Hound couldn't resist. He scooped Mirage up and kissed him again, more pressure bringing more friction and wringing moans from both mechs.

An alarm pinged Hound's HUD, and reluctantly, he let Mirage slide down his body until he was back on his own pedes. They shuddered at the contact.

"I have to go," Hound said quietly.

"I know." Mirage answered him.

Hound tore himself away and out the door. As he headed to the communication monitoring systems, he received a message from Mirage.

_::You're wonderful. Now it's my turn to take you on a date. Are you free two evenings from now?::_

_::Yes::_ Hound answered.

_::Excellent. I have something I want to share with you.::_

Hound sent his agreement and put the appointment in his schedule. This was looking like the start of something wonderful, and he was really looking forward to finding out more about Mirage.

After all, with a start like theirs, it was meant to be.

Finis!


End file.
